Vladimir Miskovic brings an unusual combination of credentials to the intersection of neuroscience and consciousness studies. A former Assistant Professor of Psychology and Integrative Neuroscience at Binghamton University (SUNY), Miskovic also served as a research scientist at X: The Moonshot Factory, the innovation division formerly known as Google X. His background extends beyond academia into contemplative practice—he is a former novice monk, a biographical detail that positions him uniquely to examine the relationship between empirical neuroscience and mystical experience.
Miskovic’s work attempts to bridge what many consider an unbridgeable divide. As coauthor with Stephen Jay Lynn of Dreaming Reality: How Neuroscience and Mysticism Can Unlock the Secrets of consciousness, he explores how insights from both domains might illuminate fundamental questions about human awareness and perception. This approach reflects a growing recognition among some researchers that dismissing mystical traditions outright may overlook valuable phenomenological data about consciousness itself.
The convergence of rigorous neuroscientific methodology with contemplative knowledge systems remains controversial in mainstream academia. Yet Miskovic’s trajectory—from monastic practice through institutional neuroscience to cutting-edge innovation research—suggests that serious investigators are increasingly willing to examine these connections without abandoning scientific rigor.
If consciousness research requires us to take subjective experience seriously as data, does that necessarily validate the metaphysical claims embedded in mystical traditions, or does it simply expand what neuroscience can measure?
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Source: New Thinking Allowed